The dinner table is set, the turkey is waiting, and there is plenty of basketball to be played in the coming days. It’s party week in college circles and teams travel to sunny locations for tournaments and invitationals meant to sharpen their talents and enhance their resumes.
To properly prepare for a full week of games that will take place from early morning until late at night, we are borrowing a franchise from our fantasy football team: Binge, Stream and Skip.
The tournaments you want to binge on are the ones you won’t want to miss. It deserves pride of place on the living room TV. Don’t plan dinner during this time unless it’s meant to be eaten in front of the screen.
The tournaments you want to “stream” are the ones with games you’ll want to watch at first, but might not finish. There will probably be breakouts. And even a casual fan could win the bracket match if there was one.
“Jump” is not as explicit as you might think. These aren’t tournaments to ignore (like others we’ve left out of this list), but rather tournaments to watch in the background. They might have some good games and will set the mood for Feast Week, but they don’t require a viewer to be locked into the action.
Here’s your guide to viewing the 2024 women’s college basketball schedule this week, which features a slew of ranked games. Each entry includes a must-have item. All times are ET
BINGUE
Ball Dawgs Classic (FloHoops)
Monday: Duke vs. Kansas State, 3 p.m.; Oklahoma vs. DePaul, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday: third place match, 2 p.m.; Championship game, 4 p.m.
Can’t-miss game: Duke vs. Kansas State (Monday, 3 p.m.)
If you can only make time for one tournament this week, make it the Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nevada. Three of the four teams – Duke, Kansas State and Oklahoma – are ranked in the top 15 in the Associated Press poll, so there is guaranteed to be at least one matchup of ranked opponents and potentially two.
Kansas State’s scorching offense (88.8 points per game) faces its first real test against Duke, an elite defensive team led by head coach Kara Lawson. Freshman forward Toby Fournier, a 6-foot-2 freshman forward, necessarily reinvigorated Duke’s offense.
Oklahoma is also beating non-conference opponents by an average of 43 points, thanks in large part to its top-10 offense (93 points per game). Raegan Beers, a 6-4 junior center transfer from Oregon State, is averaging an efficient double-double (21.3 ppg on 75% shooting, 11.8 rpg).
Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship (FloHoops)
Monday: Southern vs. NC State, 11 a.m.; LSU vs. Washington, 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday: third place match, 11 a.m.; Championship, 1:30 p.m.
Can’t-miss game: Championship lines up to be NC State vs. LSU
If NC State and LSU meet in the title game, it could end up being a deciding factor in the NCAA Tournament seeding in March. LSU’s non-conference schedule is once again weak with only one other major contender remaining. The Tigers host Stanford in the SEC/ACC Challenge on December 5. NC State’s schedule is tough and so far they have gotten the better of the Wolfpack, with losses to South Carolina and TCU. LSU will look to fuel forward Aneesah Morrow, a WNBA first-round prospect averaging a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds, against the smaller Wolfpack lineup.
Baha Mar Women’s Championship (FloHoops)
Monday: Ole Miss vs. Boston College, 5 p.m.; Oregon State vs. UConn, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday: third place match, 5 p.m.; Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Can’t-miss game: Championship lines up to be Ole Miss vs. UConn
Ole Miss and UConn should advance with ease in the Bahamas. Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, a Bahamas native, will throw a pressure defense on UConn’s stacked roster led by the No. 1 recruit trio of Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, which made its return last week. The Rebels allow 44.5 points per game (second in DI) and came within a bucket of upsetting Final Four favorite USC in the season opener.
FLOW
Fort Myers Tip-Off (Women’s Sports Network)
Island Division
Thursday: South Carolina vs. Iowa State, 1:30 p.m. (FOX); Purdue vs. Middle Tennessee, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday: South Carolina vs. Purdue, 11 a.m.; Middle Tennessee vs. Iowa State, 1:30 p.m.
Shell Division
Friday: Michigan vs. Belmont, 2 p.m.; Virginia Tech vs. Davidson, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday: third place match, 5 p.m.; Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
Can’t-Miss Game: South Carolina vs. Iowa State
The Thanksgiving dinner appetizer is a tantalizing matchup between Iowa State center Audi Crooks and the South Carolina frontcourt. The Cyclones’ defense will need to improve after its loss to Northern Iowa to combat the wave of weapons recruited by Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley.
The Shell division features Michigan freshman Syla Swords (18.8 ppg), an emerging collegiate superstar after playing for Canada in the Olympics.
Cayman Islands Classic (FloHoops)
Thursday: Utah vs. Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m.
Friday: Notre Dame vs. TCU, 5 p.m.; Mississippi State vs. South Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Notre Dame vs. Utah, 5 p.m.; TCU vs. South Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Can’t-Miss Game: Notre Dame vs. TCU
Notre Dame has punch at every position and will only get stronger throughout the year as veterans return from injury. All-American guards Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles lead the scoring in a star-studded guard battle against fifth-year guard Hailey Van Lith, who won Olympic bronze in Paris. The depleted frontcourt group will have its hands full with 24-year veteran Sedona Prince, a decorated 6-7 center who began her college career in 2020.
Acrisure Holiday Invitational
Tuesday: Cal vs. Michigan State, 11 a.m.; Vanderbilt vs. Arizona, 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday: third place match, 11 a.m.; Championship game, 1:30 p.m.
USC vs. Seton Hall, 4 p.m. (truTV)
Friday: USC vs. Saint Louis, 4 p.m. (truTV)
Must-see player: JuJu Watkins
You and your home are here for one reason. Watkins and the Trojans are must-see television series. The second-year guard scored at least 30 points in 14 of 34 games last season, but has yet to cross the threshold this year. What better time than now?
Gulf Coast Showcase (FloHoops)
Friday: Boise State vs. Illinois State, 11 a.m. (Game 1); West Virginia vs. High Point, 1:30 p.m. (Game 2); Butler vs. Santa Clara, 5 p.m. (Game 3); Texas vs. New Mexico State, 7:30 p.m. (Game 4)
Saturday: losers of games 1 and 2, 11 a.m.; Losers of games 3 and 4, 1:30 p.m.; Winners of games 1 and 2, 5 p.m.; Winners of games 3 and 4, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: match for seventh place, 11 a.m.; Third-place match, 5 p.m.; Championship, 7:30 p.m. (could be Texas vs. West Virginia)
The championship game could line up with Texas vs. West Virginia, two 2023 NCAA Tournament teams with some of the best defenses in the country. It will also be an opportunity to see the All-American duo Rori Harmon and Madison Booker in a close clash.
JUMP
Paradise Jam (ESPN+)
Division of the islands
Thursday: Pittsburgh vs. Kansas, 1:30 p.m.; Northern Iowa vs. Auburn, 4 p.m.
Friday: Auburn vs. Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m.; Kansas vs. Northern Iowa, 4 p.m.
Saturday: Northern Iowa vs. Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m.; Auburn vs. Kansas, 4 p.m.
Reef Division
Thursday: Missouri State vs. Gonzaga, 6:30 p.m.; Texas Tech vs. Florida State, 9 p.m.
Friday: Florida State vs. Missouri State, 6:30 p.m.; Gonzaga vs. Texas Tech, 9 p.m.
Saturday: Texas Tech vs. Missouri State, 6:30 p.m.; Florida State vs. Gonzaga, 9 p.m.
Team to Watch: Northern Iowa
These are all games that are easy to broadcast on television and the schedule is busy at the end of the week, when most are off. Northern Iowa (UNI) came onto the radar when the Panthers upset Iowa State in an in-state rivalry matchup. This was less than 24 hours after their star forward, Grace Boffeli, was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL. Fifth-year senior Maya McDermott leads the nation in scoring at 28.7 points per game. UNI was picked second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll and could be a major player in week one of the NCAA tournament.
Cancun Challenge
Mayan Tournament
Thursday: Providence vs. VCU, 11 a.m.; San Diego State vs. Wisconsin, 1:30 p.m.
Friday: Wisconsin vs. Providence, 11 a.m.; VCU vs. San Diego State, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday: San Diego State vs. Providence, 11 a.m.; Wisconsin vs. VCU, 1:30 p.m.
Riviera Tournament
Thursday: Vermont vs. Idaho State, 4 p.m.; Rhode Island vs. Iowa, 6:30 p.m.; BYU vs. Rice, 9 p.m.
Friday: Idaho State vs. Rhode Island
Team to watch: Iowa
It’s another tournament of potential conference champion teams, plus Iowa. The Hawkeyes are focusing on defense without the prowess of Caitlin Clark and running their offense via transfer Lucy Olsen.
Emerald Coast Classic (FloHoops)
Bay support
Monday: Alabama State vs. Alabama, 2:30 p.m.; Clemson vs. UAB, 12 p.m.
Tuesday: third place match, 12 p.m.; Championship, 2:30 p.m.
Beach support
Monday: Syracuse vs. Missouri, 5 p.m.; Wichita State vs. Creighton, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday: third place match, 6 p.m.; Championship, 8:30 p.m.
Players to watch: Creighton’s Lauren Jensen and Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker
The experienced trio of Jensen, Molly Mogensen and Morgan Maly returns for Creighton, which was picked second in the preseason Big East poll behind UConn and started the year in the AP poll. Jensen (23.8 ppg) and Barker (18.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) were each named to the Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year watch list. They are both fifth-year players.
North Shore Showcase (Ballertv)
Saturday: Georgia Tech vs. South Dakota State
Monday: Oregon vs. Georgia Tech, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Oregon vs. South Dakota State, 7 p.m.
Can’t-Miss Game: Oregon vs. South Dakota State
South Dakota State is a Summit League power and, for a fifth straight year, was voted the favorite to win the conference. Forward Brooklyn Meyer and the team could give Oregon and guard Deja Kelly a tough time to start the week. It’s also a good time to take a look at a likely NCAA Tournament team.
